Sliding headstock. Fixed chuck. Different physics.

Swiss guide bushing supports workpiece close to cutting point (within 1-3 mm). Deflection under cutting force is minimal because bushing supports almost at cutting edge. Conventional lathe: workpiece extends from chuck, deflection increases with length. For L/D > 3:1, conventional lathe needs steady rest or tailstock. Swiss machine handles L/D 20:1+ routinely. 100mm long × 5mm diameter precision part: Swiss territory.

Swiss cycle time advantage compounds at volume. Small screws: Swiss produces at 2-5 seconds per part, conventional at 30-60 seconds. For 10,000 parts: Swiss 10 hours, conventional 100+ hours. Break-even volume: typically 200-500 parts. Below: conventional CNC more economical. Above: Swiss pays back its higher setup cost. Some Swiss parts are only economical as Swiss — conventional alternative wouldn't meet cost target.

No — physical limit of Swiss machines. Typical maximum: 32-38mm diameter bar. Up to 50mm with specialty machines. Above that, parts don't fit through guide bushing. For mixed-size production, shops maintain both Swiss and conventional CNC lathes.

Swiss setup is more complex: guide bushing sizing, program tooling sequence, verify first part to tolerance. Typical setup 2-6 hours for complex part. Conventional CNC: 30min-2 hours. Setup overhead means Swiss needs 200+ parts to amortize setup. For 50 parts: conventional usually cheaper even with slower per-part cycle.

Modern Swiss machines have live tooling — secondary spindles, cross-drilling, milling features on turned parts. Enables complex parts made complete in one setup. Old Swiss: turning only. Modern Swiss with live tooling: produce complete finished parts with threading, cross-holes, milling, all without secondary operations. Our Swiss capability includes live tooling for complex precision parts.

Any material that's available as bar stock and can be turned: aluminum, brass, steel, stainless, titanium, plastics (Delrin, PEEK). Specific for Swiss: bar tolerance and straightness matter more than conventional — slightly bent bar won't feed through guide bushing. Specify ground bar stock or better for precision Swiss work. Medical grade PEEK bar, implant-grade Ti bar all available for medical Swiss work.